Getting excited about short stories in the UK & Ireland – in print, online & live!!

Founded in 2013, the Creative Future Writers’ Award is the UK’s only national writing competition and high profile awards ceremony for under-represented writers. We showcase talented writers who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, identity or other social circumstance. Prizes are awarded for both poetry and short fiction, including cash & professional writing development opportunities. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts. Alongside our competition, we hold a high profile awards ceremony–in 2018 this was held at the Southbank Centre in London as part of London Literature Festival.

Creative Future, Myriad Editions and New Writing South seek the best unpublished English short fiction writers from under-represented backgrounds—those who face barriers due to mental health, disability, identity or social circumstance.

We’re looking for manuscripts of 8-10,000 words–no more, no less. We’re happy with one long story or a selection of several.

Six writers (three fiction writers and three poets) will be selected, supported to polish their manuscripts and further their careers, and be published in individual short books with international distribution.